New Toyota Supra aims to be 'pure sports car,' not rebadged Z4

Both cars will share the same platform but the Supra and Z4 will have different suspension configurations and software calibrations.

Toyota has reaffirmed its promise to make the revived Supra unique in its driving characteristics when compared to its platform mate, the BMW Z4.

Toyota wants its car to be a raw sports car with no regard for a luxurious or plush driving experience. The company apparently took a much different approach than the mere badge swap on the Toyota 86 / Subaru BRZ twins, giving engineers more leeway to adapt the platform for each brand.

"Both cars have completely different suspension and software calibration, for example," Tetsuya Tada, chief engineer for the new Supra and the Toyota 86, told Motoring Research in a recent interview. "Practicality and comfort were almost not considered."

Another Toyota executive recently warned that the new Supra will "not be a cheap car," with a pure performance focus targeting a different customer than the Toyota 86.

Additional details will likely surface ahead of an expected unveiling before the end of the year.

Photos by Ronan Glon.